Automated banking machines are known in the prior art. A common type of automated banking machine is an automated teller machine (ATM). ATMs are used to carry out banking transactions on a self service basis. ATMs may dispense cash to users from their account. Some ATMs may accept deposits. Other ATMs may perform functions such as dispensing stamps, printing tickets, producing scrip, cashing checks, printing money orders and performing other types of transactions. For purposes of this disclosure any machine which is capable of carrying out transactions involving transfers of value is referred to as an automated banking machine.
Automated banking machines which accept deposits often require the user to input a deposit item into the machine in which it is processed and/or stored for later removal by authorized persons. Sometimes the deposit item may be an envelope or other container which holds deposit content therein. Such content may include items of value such as cash, checks, money orders, gift certificates, coupons, coin or other types of instruments. When deposit items are deposited in this manner the user is sometimes required to provide inputs through input devices on the banking machine indicative of the value associated with the item that is being deposited. Typically this is a total value of the cash, checks or other content within the deposited item. The automated banking machine may store the information about the indicated deposit value and/or may print value information on the deposited item along with a transaction number, account number or other information that allows the deposit to be traced back to a user and/or a particular transaction.
In order to verify the indicated deposit value, the operator of the banking machine must later recover the deposit item from a storage area within the machine. The operator opens the deposit item and determines if the content and the actual deposit value thereof correspond to the indicated deposit value. In most cases the actual deposit value corresponds to the indicated deposit value and the customer's account is credited accordingly. In other instances a discrepancy is noted between the actual deposit value and the indicated deposit value. In such cases the customer may be notified as to the amount of credit that they will be given for the deposit instead of the indicated deposit value that was provided to the machine.
Sometimes when deposited items are removed from the banking machine, the items are damaged. Such damage may include for example a torn or otherwise open envelope. In some cases the deposit item or the remnants thereof may not contain any deposit content. In some cases the deposit content may be loose in the storage area in the banking machine. In other cases the content may not be found at all.
Deposited items are sometimes removed from the banking machine in a tamper indicating deposit holding container and are transported to a remote location for verification. In other situations the deposited items may be transferred to a bag or other container at the site of the automated banking machine. The items may be taken to a remote location for verification of the contents of the deposited items.
In some circumstances at the remote location the content of a damaged or open deposit item may not be found. This may present issues as to whether the customer may have deliberately deposited an empty and damaged envelope into the banking machine. Alternatively questions may arise as to whether the persons responsible for removing deposits from the machine may have wrongfully taken the deposit content. Finally questions may arise as to whether persons responsible for verifying the amount of the deposit may have lost or misappropriated the content of the deposit item. In some circumstances because responsibility for the missing content cannot be established, the operator of the ATM may choose to credit the customer for the indicated deposit value even though the deposit content has never been found. In some circumstances the user may be perpetrating a fraud by deliberately attempting to deposit a damaged deposit item.
Thus there exists a need for a deposit verification system and method for an automated banking machine that reduces the risks of fraud associated with damaged or empty deposit items that are found during a deposit verification process.